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Arts & Culture Rylah Grim +,

Franklin County Banjo Player Gene Parker Made His Instrument Sing

Young students at Floyd County, Virginia’s Handmade Music School are compiling a songbook of tunes that have become standards in their community. One of those songs came from influential Virginia bluegrass band The Lost & Found. This summer, Handmade Music School student Rylah Grim spoke with the band’s longtime banjo player Gene Parker, about a song he helped write, called “Brown Hill.”

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Economy WVPB Staff,

Using Wool To Insulate Homes, This West Virginia Morning

Many farmers in our region raise sheep for meat, but not so much for wool. There’s not a great market for it with textile companies overseas, but researchers at Virginia Tech have teamed up with farmers, to figure out how to use wool to insulate houses, potentially creating a new market.

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Energy & Environment WVPB Staff,

Different Approaches To Providing Electric Power, This West Virginia Morning

Lawmakers in both West Virginia and Virginia have been looking at ways to make power bills more affordable, but their approaches are very different. We spoke with economists, politicians and ratepayers to learn why tensions between the two states may be driving up costs.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +,

A Look Back At 2025, Inside Appalachia

This week, we look back at 2025. We met some fascinating people, like Aaron Dowdy of country rock band Fust. Also, central Appalachia continued to recover from Hurricane Helene. From the beginning, the recovery brought people together. And, we made a trip to Hillbilly Hotdog to take on "The Homewrecker."

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +,

The Year After Hurricane Helene, Inside Appalachia

This week, it's been a year since Hurricane Helene hit central Appalachia. From the start, the recovery has brought people together. Also, country music’s Rob McNurlin grew up with traditional music in Eastern Kentucky. His friend Marty Stuart says he’s a folk hero. And, we check up on Virginia rapper and producer Byron Mack.

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Arts & Culture WVPB Staff,

Appalachian Trail Tourism Rebounds And Mine Land Restoration Efforts, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, we hear about an Appalachian Trail community resurging after Hurricane Helene, plus efforts to restore hundreds of acres of mine land across Appalachia.

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